George Walter Thornbury (1828–1876) was an English author who wrote during the Victorian era. He is best remembered for his significant contribution to art history as the first biographer of the celebrated English painter J. M. W. Turner. Born in November 1828, Thornbury dedicated a portion of his literary career to documenting the life and legacy of Turner, providing a foundational text for future generations of art historians.\n\nThroughout his life as a writer in nineteenth-century England, Thornbury's work as a biographer helped shape the public's understanding of one of the nation's greatest artists. Although much of his other literary output is less documented in brief historical summaries, his pioneering biography of J. M. W. Turner remains a landmark piece of art literature, securing his name in the annals of English biography before his death in June 1876.
